Graduating M.A. Mass Communications Student Kailey Thompson Answers Questions About Her Time at BYU
Q: What piece of advice would you give to current students?
Thompson: This time is not to be wasted. I vividly remember how overwhelming each new semester would feel and how endless it felt, but now it feels like I blinked once and now I’m graduating. My best advice is to work hard, focus on where you want to be when you graduate from BYU, and stop at nothing to get there (but always save time for an ice cream break).
Q: What was your most inspiring experience at BYU? Why?
Thompson: I think the most inspiring moment at BYU was right after I defended my master’s thesis. I just walked around campus almost in a daze thinking about how my thesis was the culmination of everything I had learned — from my first days as a freshman to the completion of my master’s degree. In that moment, I thought about how much I had grown, the incredible people I had met who had shaped my life and the deeper sense of purpose I now had for my future.
Q: How has the study of communications increased your capacity to serve others?
Thompson: I feel like studying communications has helped me become a more empathetic person. I have learned how to meet people where they are at and how to understand them better.
Q: What aspect of communications are you the most passionate about?
Thompson: I love communications because it is one of the most powerful tools that anyone can use to foster better understanding and trust. As an undergraduate, I pursued a degree in public relations to explore how organizations build trust through effective messaging. Then, in graduate school, I focused my research on developing stronger leaders within the communications workforce. The combination of my studies at both the undergraduate and the graduate level reflect what I am most passionate about within communications.
Q: What is your favorite BYU vending machine snack?
Thompson: I have to admit, I think I’ve only used the vending machines on campus once to get a bottle of water. In my freshman year, I made a goal to save money by packing my own snacks, and six years later I’m still staying strong. So if you ever see me around campus, chances are I’ve got plenty of applesauce packets to share!
Q: What is your favorite building on campus?
Thompson: I know it’s probably the most basic response for a comms student, but I truly have grown to love the Brimhall building. I love the big windows in the building and the fact that it’s on the older part of campus where I can see the deer and the ducks that visit campus. The best spot in the Brimhall is the grad den on the first floor. Those four walls gave me a solid place to study, to think and to laugh about life and school with my fellow grad students.